The Lotus Concubine
by Templarlady
Summary: After an evening out with friends Bill tells Alex another story of his past with Lorena.
1. Chapter 1

The characters of Bill and Lorena belong to Charliane Harris and Alan Ball, all other characters originate in my own warped imagination.

The Lotus Concubine

The door of the restaurant closed with a creak as Sarah and Colin came in and I waved to them from the corner table where Bill and I were sitting. Sarah came over and joined us as Colin headed for the bar and bought a round of drinks. Most of my friends were used to Bill by now and were fairly relaxed in his company although there were one or two who resolutely refused to meet him under any circumstances. His appointment as Sheriff and the subsequent media attention had meant that I was unable to keep our relationship a secret, even if I had wanted to.

"Hi Alex, how was the movie?" asked Sarah, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"Oh, it was okay, nothing special." I said. Actually I had seen very little of the movie since Bill and I had spent most of our time kissing in the darkness of the back row, but I wasn't about to tell Sarah that! She and Colin had arrived for a meal in the local Thai Restaurant and Bill and I had agreed to drop in and meet them for a drink before we went home. Colin came over with a tray of drinks and we sat and chatted for a while.

I noticed that Bill's eyes kept being drawn to a carving which depicted a Chinese dragon curled around the top of the bar. I put my hand on his thigh under the table and rubbed gently. "Everything okay sweetheart?" I asked.

"It'll be better when I get you home." he whispered.

"What makes you think I'm coming home with you Mr Compton?" I asked sliding my hand further up his thigh.

At this point a waiter arrived to take Sarah and Colin to their table and they moved off into the restaurant.

"I have something for you." said Bill.

"Hmm...I'll bet you have!" I said.

Bill chuckled, "No not that, well...that too actually, but I meant something else."

By this time my hand had slid up to the top of his thigh. "Well let's go then."

He took my hand and got up. "I'm not sure I can make it back to the car without another kiss." He said softly as we headed outside. Bill looked around, spotted an alleyway two doors down from the restaurant and pulled me into the shadows. He slipped his arms around me and began to kiss me hungrily. I leaned back against the wall and whispered "Bite me Bill, please?" He looked a little shocked but I noticed that his fangs had already slid out. He looked around, "What, here?" he asked.

"Yes, please...I want you to!" I whispered.

He needed no further encouragement and pulled me deeper into the shadows and, with his hand cupping the back of my neck, slid his fangs deep into my throat. I felt the suction of his lips around the little wound and I felt a wave of pleasure wash over me, starting somewhere deep inside and flowing down between my legs, sparking a familiar warmth. Bill sucked hard savouring the taste of my blood, holding me tightly in his arms. After a moment he pulled back.

"We'd better get out of here!" he said "I don't really want to have to ravish you in a dirty alleyway!"

I smiled back at him, "Let's get back then."

Ten minutes later we were in Bill's safe room, various items of my clothing scattered down the staircase. I sat on the stool before the dressing table examining the marks on my neck in the mirror and watched over my shoulder as Bill came in from the bathroom, also naked, and leaned on the door frame, watching me. I gave him a teasing little smile and he came over to stand behind me.

He put his hand under my chin and pulled my head back, leaning down to clamp his mouth over mine and began to kiss me passionately. His other hand moved around and grasped my breast, I gave a little gasp as he pinched the nipple and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into my open mouth. I tried to wriggle away from him but he pulled me backwards until I was leaning back off the stool, helpless in his grasp as his hand slid down from my breast and he began to work his fingers between my legs sliding them inside my soft, slick passage.

"Oh Bill, really! Behave yourself!" I gasped as he let me come up for air.

"Mmm...no, I don't think so" he said huskily looking down at me with a wicked expression.

Without giving me time to object he picked me up and carried me over to the bed. He laid my head and shoulders down on the soft quilt, holding me clear of the bed, helpless in mid air with one hand under each buttock, my legs resting around his hips. He gave me an evil little smile and leaned forward, driving himself into me with a groan of pleasure. I gave a little squeal and grasped at the quilt, but it was hopeless. He had cunningly arranged me in a completely helpless position and I could do absolutely nothing but lie there, while he pounded into me mercilessly, chuckling wickedly to himself.

"Behaving myself isn't nearly as much fun" he panted, lifting me up again, impaled on his rock hard member, and stepping forward to put one knee on the bed. Clasping my body to his, he laid us both down on the quilt and continued his assault.

"Oh!...Bill!...please!" I moaned.

"Still want me to behave myself?" he asked, reaching forward with one hand to brace himself on one of the bedposts.

"Oh no...please don't stop..." I said weakly, writhing against his body and lifting my hips to help him.

"Are you sure?" he asked in a concerned tone, but not slowing down in the least, "I can stop if you like?"

"No!" I cried "please go on!..." I felt as if the whole world had shrunk down to just the two of us and nothing else mattered except the delicious sensation of Bill's hardness pushing into me deeper and deeper, filling up my whole consciousness with the intense pleasure.

"Oh...oh!..." suddenly I was writhing and thrashing beneath him on the bed, crying out his name as the wave of sensation rolled over me, engulfing me completely.

When I could breathe again I was lying on my back with Bill lying beside me looking down at me with a smile.

"I'm so sorry darling," he said with a little laugh "I promise I'll behave myself next time!"

I reached up and smacked him weakly "Don't you dare!" I gasped "not if your misbehaviour is as much fun as that!"

I stretched out an arm and one of the pillows, which had been pushed sideways by Bill's energetic efforts slid off the bed, catching something on the little table as it did so. Bill reached down and picked up the pillow tossing it back on the bed and then picked up the object it had pushed off the table.

"This" he said "is what I intended to show you, before you distracted me, you wicked girl."

"I distracted you!" I exclaimed indignantly.

Bill laughed "Never mind...here," he handed me the object he had picked up. It was a pale green plaque, about the size of a coaster with a Chinese character embossed on it in gold. I turned it over in my hands.

"Bill? Is this Jade? What is it?"

"Well" he said "If you think you can keep your hands off me for long enough, I'll tell you."

"Hmmm...It'll be tough, but I think I can manage!" I said as I snuggled up to him. He pulled the quilt up over us and began his tale.

* * *

In the winter of 1898 Lorena received a letter. We were living in a large, expensive property in New Orleans at the time which Lorena and I had obtained by means which you really don't want to hear about, and of which I must say that I am now thoroughly ashamed. She appeared furious about both the contents of the letter and the fact that it had followed us from San Francisco and was therefore several weeks late in arriving. I took the sensible precaution of staying well out of her way for a while. However, after a night of pacing about the house and muttering to herself she passed it to me saying "Here, see what you think."

It was from a friend of hers in China, a vampire that she had met when she was there in 1860 and referred to an estate which she apparently owned just outside Peking. Her friend Li Cheng was living on the estate and acting as a caretaker on her behalf, but he was worried that, since the estate was registered in her name, there might be trouble. He was concerned about a secret society which had recently emerged from the provinces, known as the Boxers. They claimed that their training made them invulnerable and that they had been sent to purify China of foreign influences, which they blamed for the desperate state of thousands of Chinese peasants who were suffering due to Opium addiction.

The Boxers were being suppressed as much as possible by the Chinese authorities since a major cause of their rebellion was the treatment of foreign missionaries and Chinese Christian converts. There had already been several incidents where groups of Boxers had attacked and killed local Christians as well as foreign missionaries and this aggression was attracting the unwelcome attention of foreign governments. Li Cheng feared that there would soon be serious trouble and that Lorena would be well advised to sign over the property to him and take her money out of China for good.

"That estate is worth a small fortune." She fumed "I can't let it fall into the hands of a bunch of uneducated Chinese peasants!" She paced across the room again, considering. "We'll have to go out there to deal with this!"

I sat up, surprised at this unexpected development. "Can't Li Cheng just arrange for the money to be transferred?" I asked.

"Heavens, No!" she said, looking at me with an exasperated expression. "You don't understand the Chinese mind. They consider China to be the centre of the universe and all foreigners to be barbarians. They would never allow money to be transferred out of the country officially. We would have to take it to Shanghai or Hong Kong, a treaty port, and take it out from there. From what Li Cheng says it's likely to get quite nasty soon."

"Where did you get enough money to invest at that kind of level?" I asked, astonished.

"Why from the opium trade of course!" she said, sounding surprised. "Everyone in Hong Kong was involved at that time. You invested your money in cases of Patna Opium brought in from India by the British East India Company. Shipped it up the Pearl River to Canton and sold it to the Chinese merchants for a fat profit. Oh sure, the Chinese authorities didn't like it, but since all the Lorchas were registered in Hong Kong and flew the British Flag there was nothing they could do about it."

"Lorchas?" I asked.

She sighed "A Lorcha is a boat, a Portuguese hull with a Chinese Junk rig and sails. They were known to the Chinese as "Scrambling Dragons". The British granted licenses from Hong Kong allowing smugglers to carry on a brisk trade in opium under the protection of the British Flag. And they were quite serious about it too! Ever heard of the Arrow?"

"I'm sure you'll be able to enlighten me" I said patiently.

Lorena kicked off her shoes and put her dainty feet up on the sofa. "The Arrow was a Lorcha trading in opium and licensed in Hong Kong, unfortunately the license had expired and she was boarded by Chinese officials and the crew taken into custody. The Irish skipper swore blind that the licence was in order and Harry Parkes, the British Commissioner kicked up a fuss, insisting that the Arrow was entitled to British protection. When the Chinese refused to apologise Parkes called in the Navy and gunboats bombarded Canton for six days. I understand that two American ships joined in the bombardment."

"And the ship wasn't actually licensed at all?" I asked.

"It appeared not." she laughed happily "and if Parkes knew that he certainly wasn't going to back down and lose face in front of the Chinese!"

"But trading in Opium was illegal at that time anyway wasn't it?"

"Oh yes, technically. But we understood that all restraints on trade were to be removed by the treaty of Tientsin which also opened up ten more ports to western trade. Admittedly the treaty hadn't been ratified yet because the Chinese were using every delaying tactic possible, but a large detachment of British troops under General Hope Grant had arrived and were to march north to Peking together with the French to see the Treaty ratified by the Emperor Tsien Feng."

"Why were they delaying? Because they didn't approve of the trade?"

"That yes, but mostly because the Treaty would have to be signed by the Emperor himself, in the presence of the western representatives, and there were a lot of them. In the late 1850s there were British, American, French and Russian men-of-war off Canton. That would have been a disaster for the Chinese. You have to understand that the Emperor was The Son of Heaven, he was treated as a god. No one could enter his presence without kow towing, you understand the term? The petitioner would get down on his hands and knees and knock his forehead on the floor? Well the Chinese nobles and mandarins were well aware of the fact that the westerners would never kow tow! So they did their utmost to keep them away from the Imperial Court."

I lay on the opposite sofa listening to Lorena, fascinated by her explanation.

"Well, if this place is worth as much as you say then perhaps we should go and see what we can do." I said. The idea of travelling to China had excited me since I had never left the country before. Perhaps there might be something in this half life of mine of some interest to me after all. At least it would be something new and I had found that I craved new things, new sensations, new experiences, anything which would allow me to feel that Lorena was not the only thing in my life. "But, how would we get there?"

"Leave the arrangements to me." She said with a smile. "There are ways around these things, if you have enough money. Some humans are far more corruptible than you would think, if you pay enough, they simply don't ask any questions!"

And so it was that, a few months later we were walking off a ship in the harbour at Shanghai at dusk, with half a dozen coolies rushing around loading our trunks into a wagon. Since Peking was about 750 miles from Shanghai we were booked into a small Inn to await a ship to Taku in the North, which was the nearest port to Peking. The wagon driver took us to the Inn which was located down a side street a mile or so from the docks. As we arrived the proprietor came out to greet us and showed us into the main room. The place appeared to be relatively clean and the room was crowded with a mixture of native Chinese, Portuguese sailors and a few English and American soldiers from the barracks outside the city.

In a very short time Lorena had arranged for our luggage to be taken up to one of the best rooms, one of the few with a stout lock on the door. We then came back down to the main room and sat at a small table in the corner with a bottle of some kind of local alcohol and a couple of glasses. Lorena looked casually around the room assessing the possibilities of everyone there. As I leaned my chair back against the wall I noticed a couple of soldiers look over at her and say something to each other. Then one came over and began to chat to her. I sat back in the shadows trying not to listen to their conversation, however, before long he glanced over at me and then got up and walked away. Another soon took his place but left again fairly quickly. Lorena turned to me angrily.

"Will you relax!" she hissed, a little unfairly I thought, since I was so relaxed I was practically asleep. "You're cramping my style!"

"Why don't I go for a walk and leave you to your evening's entertainment?" I said, pushing the chair away from the wall and getting up, "I could do with some fresh air."

"Good idea." She replied "You go and enjoy yourself and I'll concentrate on securing us a passage to Peking!"

"I'm sure you'll have a better chance of interesting the sailors than I would." I said.

She laughed "Oh I wouldn't be too sure of that if I were you!" She gave me an evil little smile "Who knows, I might be reduced to selling your body in exchange for our passage!"

I put my hands on the table and glared down at her "Well, make sure you don't sell it to anyone who's vital to the management of the ship, because he may not last very long!"

She stood up as if to kiss me goodbye and whispered harshly in my ear "You will do exactly as I say. If I feel it is necessary for you to entertain half a dozen sailors you will do it, and furthermore, you will enjoy it, is that clear?"

I shuddered and turned for the door without answering her. The air in the narrow street outside was, in fact, far from fresh. But it was better than breathing the same air as Lorena when she was in this kind of mood. I prayed that she would not make good on her threat. I knew I should not defy her, it only gave her an excuse to punish me, which she loved, but I could not help myself. My hatred and repugnance drove me to it and, truth be told, I thought that she enjoyed my defiance. In some twisted way she felt that it justified her treatment of me. It had been this way from the very beginning. At first I had prayed, regularly, desperately begging to be released from this purgatory. Asking myself why, what terrible thing had I done in life that warranted this punishment? I had killed many men in the war, but I had no choice, and I was only one of many thousands. Surely they did not all have to suffer this?

But all my prayers availed me nothing and to my horror, I began to believe that she was right, perhaps I really was a monster like her. Certainly there were times, many times, when the hunger, the lust for blood would overcome me completely and I killed and fed, like an animal. Afterwards Lorena would be delighted with me, but I sometimes thought that even her harshest punishments would be easier to bear than my loathing of what I had become.

I was walking aimlessly down the street in the direction of the docks when I heard a faint cry coming from somewhere to my right. I took a few steps in the direction it had come from and found a tiny alleyway almost hidden behind the corner of a building. As I peered into the darkness I heard another muffled cry and saw what appeared to be a child lying on the ground covering his head with his arms. Leaning over him with a short whip was a man in an army uniform and as I watched he raised his arm and brought the whip down on the boy's shoulders.

Without thinking I ran down the alley and snatched the whip from the soldier's hand before he could strike again.

"What the...hey, give that back!" he said, swaying drunkenly, "this little wretch was trying to steal from me!" I looked down at the boy who shook his head and cringed back against the wall. "He's just a child" I said, but as I looked down at him he gave a shout and I turned back just in time to see the flash of a knife as the drunken soldier lunged at me. There was a searing pain in my side as the knife sliced through my shirt and across my ribs and, with a furious hiss, I took the soldier by the throat and flung him across the alley against the opposite wall. Before he could move, I was on him, my fangs out, tearing into his throat and taking deep gulps of his sour, alcohol laced blood. Within seconds I could feel the slowing of his heart and I dropped his dead body to the ground and looked around.

The little boy was crouched against the opposite wall staring at me, wide-eyed with fright and shock and at that moment I heard a commotion at the end of the alley. Three Chinese soldiers came running towards us and I turned to run, only to find that two more were waiting at the other end of the alley. I was trapped! I stood next to the boy, every muscle tensed to flee as soon as the chance presented itself as the first soldier ran up and began shouting at me. I shook my head and he stopped and stared at me for a moment. Then he spotted the whip lying on the ground at my feet. He gave a shout and drew a long vicious looking sword. I looked up at the rickety balconies two storeys above us, I could jump that high easily. "Time to go" I thought, but before I could move, the boy had grasped my leg and pulled himself upright. He stood between me and the soldier and began talking hurriedly, pointing at the dead man, me and finally himself, evidently trying to explain what had happened. I didn't imagine for a moment that the soldier would take any notice of him but, to my surprise, he crouched down before the boy and began asking questions. Seeing this, the other soldiers visibly relaxed and I began to think I might escape unscathed after all. After a few minutes of explanation the soldier stood up and looked me in the eye. He reached over and tapped me on the chest.

"English?" he asked.

"American." I said with a small smile, wondering if he would understand.

He put his hand on the boy's head and said "Sister, son?" I nodded in understanding, the boy was his nephew. He waved his hand and said something in Chinese and the other soldiers melted away into the darkness. He held out his hand and, after a moment's hesitation, I took it. He tapped himself on the chest and said "Jung Lu!" Guessing that this was his name I did the same and said "William!"

"Thank you, William San!" he said, giving me a little bow. I smiled and he turned and headed back up the alleyway, leading the little boy by the hand. The boy turned back and waved to me, then they were gone.

I leaned against the wall for a moment thinking that perhaps Shanghai might be a little too dangerous even for me. With a short laugh I started to walk back to the Inn.

When I arrived there was no sign of Lorena and so I headed upstairs to our room. She was lying on the bed wearing only a silk petticoat with a satisfied expression on her face and turned to me as I entered.

"Well, we leave for Peking, tomorrow" she said. "The captain of one of the Portuguese traders was only too happy to accommodate me, once I convinced him of the advantages." She smiled and held out her hand to me. "Not that he was able to do much more than whet my appetite" she said, licking her lips "come and sit here my darling and tell me what you've been up to. Have you been making friends?"

"As a matter of fact, I have" I said.

She laughed, "Oh William, you are so cute sometimes! Come here!" she took my arm and pulled me down onto the bed, swinging herself astride me and rubbing her body against mine. I hated the very thought of her but I knew from experience that resistance was useless. She was so much stronger than I was, I stood no chance against her. Nevertheless I did not always give in so tamely, there were times when I struggled to resist her. Then we fought like animals, like the monsters we were and I was ashamed to admit that her brutality aroused me, that I took pleasure in her pain even though I knew it was what she wanted. But now was not the time. I had no wish to have half the Inn come bursting in to rescue her, or me! So I lay back and let her tear open my clothing and rub herself over me until she was satisfied that I was sufficiently aroused and gritted my teeth as she climbed onto me and rode me as though I were her pet stud stallion. Suddenly she leaned forward and slapped me across the face, hard enough to bring tears to my eyes.

"Wake up and participate can't you!" she snapped "or are you completely useless?" I gave a snarl and threw her off me with an effort. She lay back on the bed laughing as I grasped her by the neck and ripped the thin silk petticoat from her body. I knelt over her my erection hard against the cool skin of my belly If this was what she wanted, then I needed relief and I would use her as she used me. This was not love, not even pleasure for me, but I knew that, for the moment at least, it was all I had. I dragged her thighs apart and thrust myself into her, ignoring her cries, concentrating only on my release.

When it was over I got up without a word, pulled on my clothes and went out to the bath house which I had seen next door, her mocking laughter following me down the stairs.

For the next two nights at least I was free of her as she played the role of whore to the Portuguese ship's captain. It was not necessary, of course, but she enjoyed it and I was relieved to be spared her attentions. We landed at the port nearest to Peking and were able to find a small carriage and driver in the town to take us to Lorena's estate which proved to be a sizeable villa set amongst beautifully landscaped gardens and with a long driveway leading up from the road.

We dismounted from the carriage outside the front gate to find a middle aged man waiting for us wearing the elaborate silk robes of a Mandarin. "Welcome back Lorena!" he cried. Come in, come in, make yourselves at home." He shouted something in Chinese and two servants ran out and began to unload our luggage from the carriage. We followed Li Cheng through a beautifully carved gateway into a charming garden courtyard surrounded by a wooden verandah. Directly across from the gateway was a set of steps leading up onto the verandah and to a pair of elaborately carved wooden doors which opened as we walked across the courtyard.

I almost stumbled as I raised my eyes from the lovely flower beds in the courtyard and saw the young woman who had opened the doors. She was one of the most stunningly beautiful women I had ever seen. Slender and pale with an oval face, dark almond shaped eyes and glossy black hair that fell in a curtain down to her waist. She looked down shyly as we passed, not meeting my eyes, which was probably just as well! It was all I could do not to stare at her. I looked up and saw Li Cheng smiling at me. "You approve of my little lotus flower? You must be William, yes?"

"Yes...to both questions" I said with a smile.

"Excellent!" he said. "Then I'm sure you will enjoy your stay here."

He bustled into the large room and chivvied a servant to open the shutters displaying a magnificent view down the hill to the river.

"Please sit down, you must be tired after your journey. If you're hungry I'm sure one of my little flowers will be able to assist you." He smiled at my surprise and clapped his hands. Almost immediately two more lovely young women hurried in and stood watching him intently. "These are Jiao and Li Fei" he said indicating the girls, They will be at your disposal during your stay and will help you with anything you need."

Lorena and I sat down on a long couch and the two girls moved over to a smaller bench at the side of the room and sat down quietly, watching us.

"So," said Lorena briskly "what's going on that I had to come half way around the world to deal with?"

Li Cheng sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. "Nothing too terrible has happened yet" he said, "at least, not so far as we are concerned. The Boxers have confined themselves to attacking foreign missionaries and Chinese Christian converts, but they get bolder every day and I feel that soon all foreigners will become targets. There is talk that they will march on Peking and drive the foreigners from the Legations."

"What do you suggest we should do?" I asked.

"There appear to be two risks to your investment here" said Li Cheng "If the property is known to be owned by a foreigner then there is a risk that it could be attacked and destroyed by the Boxers. However if it is owned by a Chinese, it would be safe from the Boxers, but at risk of being looted and destroyed by the Allied Powers if it comes to war. I would be happy to purchase this property from you Lorena" he smiled "I would give you a good price, despite the situation. I think the risk is less if it belongs to me."

As a soldier myself I was shocked by Li Cheng's statement. "Surely you're not suggesting that the western armies would do such a thing!" I asked.

Lorena and Li Cheng both laughed "Oh William" said Lorena "You're so delightfully naive sometimes. Remind me to take you to see the remains of the Summer Palace, it's not far from here." I must have looked puzzled because Li Cheng began to explain.

"After the Opium Wars, when Lorena was last here the British and French armies were advancing on Peking to enforce the signing of the treaty of Tiensin. In August 1860 the Imperial court requested an armistice for talks and a delegation under Sir Harry Parkes was sent, but they were seized and imprisoned. When it was learned, later, after the defeat of the Imperial Army that half of the delegation had died under torture Lord Elgin, the British High Commissioner, decided that he wanted to do something which would punish the Emperor and his Court but not the ordinary Chinese. He knew that if he levied a huge fine, the court would simply increase the taxes to pay it. So in October 1860 he ordered the burning of the Summer Palace."

I sat and stared at Li Cheng, appalled.

"The gardens and pagodas covered an area 8 miles by 10 and burned for three days" said Lorena with a reminiscent look in her eyes "There was panic everywhere, the hunting was excellent!" she gave a little sigh "Ah well….how do you suggest we go about this?"

"The deeds to the property are lodged at the American Legation in Peking" said Li Cheng "You would need to collect them in person and I can arrange for them to be transferred over to me."

A thought struck me. "Just a moment!" I said "The papers are in your name but signed in 1860?"

"That's right" she answered, a little impatiently.

"But they won't believe that you're the same person surely? Humans may be a little gullible, but they're not that stupid."

Lorena sighed again and looked at Li Cheng with raised eyebrows. "He's very young, and I'm afraid I don't let him out much!" she said with a lascivious smile. She turned to me and explained in a patient tone "I have forged papers identifying me as Lorena Krisyki's granddaughter. Her favourite granddaughter, who was named after her and has inherited all her property."

She stood up "Well, I suppose we should arrange a meeting at the Legation then, will that be difficult?"

"Not at all" said Li Cheng "In fact I have already put the arrangements in place. We can see the American representative tomorrow evening." He smiled blandly at Lorena, who looked slightly annoyed at having her decisions pre-empted in this manner, but she smiled graciously back and said "It's getting late, we should retire for the day."

Li Cheng turned to the two girls, "show William and Lorena to their room would you my dears?"

The two girls Jiao and Li Fei jumped up immediately and came over to us. Jiao smiled at me and took my hand gently.

"Come" she said, pulling my hand.

I nodded to Li Cheng and followed Jiao out of the room and down the corridor outside. She was small and plump with bright green eyes and glossy black hair tied back in two long plaits.

"Do you speak English?" I asked her as we walked ahead of Lorena and Li Fei.

"Little" she said shyly. "Li Cheng teach. Lian better, speak English good."

"Who is Lian?" I asked.

"You see, before" she said "Lotus Blossom!"

I remembered the stunning woman who had opened the doors for us when we arrived.

So, she spoke good English did she. I smiled to myself. I would have to be very careful, I had learned that Lorena hated me to show any interest in other women. It could be very dangerous for poor Lotus if Lorena thought that I was attracted to her. I was woken from my pleasant musing by Jiao stopping in the corridor. She gestured to what appeared to be a small store room just off the kitchens. Lorena and I entered and Li Fei crouched down before an embroidered rug on the floor. She rolled it back to reveal a large trapdoor which she raised and beckoned us forward. I looked down to see a flight of stone steps leading down into a spacious cellar.

Jiao and Li Fei went down the steps ahead of us and Lorena and I followed, coming out into a cool dry area with numerous sacks piled up against the far wall. I saw sacks of rice and onions before I noticed Jiao pointing to a door in the wall to the right. Lorena opened the door to reveal a comfortably appointed room containing a large bed and two couches. There was a thick carpet on the stone floor and various silk hangings around the walls. Two elaborate lamps in the shape of bronze dragons stood on a carved wooden sideboard and shed a soft warm light over the room. In all the place was so charmingly decorated that it took a moment to realise that we were underground and there were no windows.

Jaio and Li Fei bowed deeply and then turned and left, closing the door behind them.

"Who are they exactly?" I asked, puzzled.

"They're some of Li Cheng's concubines" she said, in a matter of fact tone.

I have to admit that I was shocked. "They live here with him? They know what he is?"

"Well of course they do!" she laughed. "He has always lived this way, all wealthy Chinese have a number of concubines."

"But if they know that he is vampire, why don't they run away?" I asked, confused "He seems to have no guards."

"Why would they?" she asked. "He's rich and influential, he takes care of them, feeds them well, they live in a charming house with everything they could possibly want. When they grow too old to interest him he will arrange a good marriage for them. Besides, where would they go? Back to their families? To work themselves to death in the fields?"

"And they keep his existence secret? Surely they could go to the authorities?"

She sat down on the bed and looked up at me. "You don't understand William. This is a different world. Slavery may have been abolished in America, but America is not the whole world, far from it! They belong to him, like his clothes and his furniture and his horses. If they were to run to the authorities they wouldn't be believed, they would just be flogged and brought back. Besides, they like him! They are well treated and all he requires from them is blood and sex!" She smiled at me "Believe me, it's an easier life than most Chinese peasant girls!" She kicked off her shoes and lay down on the bed. "I've had enough of your questions for one night."

I took off my clothes thoughtfully, pulled on a pair of thin silk trousers and lay down on the bed next to her. As the dawn pulled me under all I could see was a pair of dark, almond shaped eyes in a pale, oval face.

I dreamed of her. I dreamed that she was there with me, sitting beside me on the bed. I kissed her gently and pulled her into my arms. I could smell the scent of sandalwood on her skin and hear the rustle of silk as her robe slipped from her shoulders and and pooled on the floor at her feet. She reached forward, placed her hand on my bare shoulder and began to shake me gently.

"William San!" she shook me a little harder, "wake up William San!"

I opened my eyes to see her pale oval face looking down at me, framed with a curtain of glossy black hair.

"You are awake now?" she asked quietly.

"Am I?" I asked. For a moment I wondered if I was still dreaming but she was still fully clothed, so it seemed unlikely. I sat up.

"What are you doing here Lotus?" I asked.

She smiled at me and drew the top of her robe apart, baring her long pale neck and leaned towards me. "Are you hungry William San?" she whispered.

"Are you sure I'm awake?" I asked. I leaned over and nuzzled gently at her throat, she smelled faintly of sandalwood, just as I had imagined. I pulled back and looked at her. "Why would you do this Lotus?" I asked.

She gazed at me innocently. "I want to help you William San" she said, "and in return, I hope you will help me."

"Ah!...I knew there had to be a catch. I sat back and looked into her lovely eyes. "And what exactly would I be expected to do for you?"

"It is nothing, really..." she said, leaning forward and brushing her soft lips against mine. "You go, tomorrow, with Li Cheng to Peking, to the Legation, yes?" I closed my mouth over hers and slipped my hand behind her head, pulling her closer.

"Mmm..." I said softly.

"I want you to persuade him to take me with you, to practice my English!" she murmured.

"Well...I'll try, but I can't guarantee that he will agree."

"Thank you William San," she whispered, and she laid her head back over my arm, her hair flowing down over my hand to brush the bedcovers. I placed my mouth on her throat and kissed her gently, licking the spot where I knew the vein flowed under the porcelain skin. I bit carefully into her flesh, just a nip, enough to break the skin, no more. I placed my mouth over the little wounds and took a mouthful or two of her blood. It tasted rich and sweet and I pulled back with an effort.

She stood up and pulled her robe closed. Giving me another little smile she slipped out of the door like a shadow, leaving me wondering if I had dreamed the whole episode. I ran my tongue over my lips and tasted her sweet blood, no...that had not been a dream. I lay back down and slipped back into the deep sleep.

When I woke the next evening Lorena was already gone. I got up and dressed and hurried up the stairs to the large lounge we had sat in the previous night. Lorena was there with Li Cheng.

"I will accompany you of course" he was saying as I walked in, "we will both need to sign the transfer documents."

I noticed Lotus sitting quietly on a chair by the window and took a deep breath.

"Good evening Li Cheng," I said politely. He gave me a little bow and said We are just waiting for the carriage to be brought round, then we can leave."

"You won't need me for your business will you?" I asked.

"Don't think you're going to stay here!" said Lorena sharply. "I want you where I can keep an eye on you."

"Oh, I have no intention of being left behind I assure you!" I said, equally sharply. "I was just wondering...if Li Cheng will be needed to conduct your business, could someone else accompany me to translate for me? I would like to see something of the city and neither Jiao nor Li Fei's English is really that good...?

Li Cheng turned to Lotus, "You will accompany us Lotus, to translate for Mr Compton."

She stood up gracefully and smiled at me. "Of course, it will be my pleasure!"

Half an hour later we were sitting in the corner of the US Legation, quietly listening to a British Army Officer pacing up and down the office, blustering to an American official about the threat from the Boxers.

"Bad business! delays! no experience! endless talks! can't have it! treacherous! audience tomorrow! Prince Tuan! hope he speaks English!"

"Well that would make one of you" I thought.

After a few more minutes they left and a middle aged man emerged from the inner office and looked around.

"Excuse me, would you be Miss Krisyki?" he asked, smiling down at Lorena.

"That's right, and this is my colleague Li Cheng" She held out her gloved hand and the man shook it gently. "Morrison" he said "Attaché to the American ambassador. Please come this way." He escorted Lorena and Li Cheng into the inner office leaving Lotus and I sitting on the bench.

I turned to her and saw that she was apparently gazing out of the main door into the dusty street outside. On closer inspection I realised that she was looking at a Chinese soldier stationed at the doors to the Legation. A man in a uniform which Li Cheng had described to us as that of a Banner Captain in the Imperial Army. We had passed a number of Imperial soldiers on the way in to Peking. A fact which appeared to worry him considerably.

I watched her for a few moments and noticed that she did not once take her eyes off the Bannerman. I smiled to myself, "practice her English" indeed! I looked up just as the soldier seemed to feel her eyes on him and looked round. His lips curled up in a little smile as he saw her and then he noticed me. His mouth fell open in surprise and I have no doubt that mine did too. He was the soldier I had met in the alley in Shanghai...Jung Lu!


	2. Chapter 2

I turned back to Lotus, who was blushing prettily and would not meet my eyes.

"Who is that soldier Lotus?" I asked.

She did not answer me but merely looked down at her feet.

"Does Li Cheng know that you know Jung Lu?"

She looked up, surprised. "You know his name?"

"I met him in Shanghai." I said. "What is he doing here?"

"He is stationed at the Barracks near the villa" she explained "He went to Shanghai on leave to visit his sister." Well that fitted with what I knew of him. She looked up and put a hand on my chest. "Please William San, do not tell Li Cheng about him, promise me?" Both her tiny hands were on my chest now, rubbing at me through the rough cotton of my shirt. "You know that I wanted to come here today because there was a chance that I would see him." She paused and her beautiful eyes filled with tears. "I love him William San, and he loves me. I know we cannot be together but perhaps...when Li Cheng tires of me..." I took her hands in mine and placed them in her lap.

"I won't tell Li Cheng anything if I can help it."

I got up and went to the door of the inner office where a very young secretary sat at the desk, pretending to read a paper and watching us out of the corner of his eye. He looked up as I approached.

"If Li Cheng and Miss Krisyki finish their business before we return would you tell them that we have gone out for some air?" I asked.

"Oh certainly sir!" he said "Your young lady friend appears to be very...friendly sir?" I laughed, "She doesn't see many westerners, I think she's just curious." I said.

I went back to Lotus and said "Would you care to take a walk outside?" She stood up gracefully, placed a hand on my arm and we walked out of the office. The young secretary watched us go with interest, obviously wishing that he too could be regarded as an object of curiosity by beautiful orientals.

There was no sign of Jung Lu in the dusty street outside so Lotus and I strolled out into the Legation quarter, heading towards the British Legation and the adjoining Mongol market. Behind the British Legation I saw some gardens surrounded by a high wall which Lotus informed me was the palace of Prince Su, the head of one of the eight great Manchu families. We wandered through the market admiring the fine porcelain and bolts of silk for sale in the many shops which were still open. Behind the market was the Imperial Carriage Park which backed up to the very wall of the Forbidden City itself.

For the first time in many months I found that I was enjoying myself. The unaccustomed sights and smells of the city fascinated me and I was strangely comforted by the feel of Lotus's warm hand on my arm through the cloth of my coat. All too soon it was time to return to the Legation and I turned back with considerable reluctance.

Back at the Legation we found Lorena and Li Cheng thanking Morrison for his assistance. Lotus and I waited outside as they came out looking pleased with themselves.

"Well, that went well" said Lorena "Quite straightforward really!"

Li Cheng smiled at her. "You'll need to give me a day or two to get the money together and then our business will be concluded" he said. "Please allow me to take you on a tour of my villa when we return." She laughed and took his arm as we strolled down the street towards the gate in the Tartar Wall where we had left the carriage.

On our return we were met by Li Cheng's elderly manservant who requested his presence in the office. Lorena threw herself down onto a couch in the lounge and said "Well, that's done. Now we can relax a little. Lotus, bring Jiao to me would you. I'm hungry."

I thought I saw Lotus flinch at this bald statement but she bowed her head obediently and turned to leave. "I think I'll head downstairs for a rest" I said following her out.

"Fine, whatever you want" said Lorena, leaning back on the couch.

I slipped out into the corridor and hurried after Lotus. "Just a moment!" I called. She turned and lowered her head as I approached. "Do you have a bath house?" I asked.

"Why yes William San" she said "Follow me and I'll show you. I must just speak to Jiao first"

We walked together down the outside corridor and then through a door and into the interior of the building. I looked around with interest. We were in a long panelled corridor with a large door at the end. Before the door, along one side of the corridor was a long low table containing an elaborately carved wooden box. Lotus opened a side door and called something. In a few moments Jiao came out and hurried back the way we had come. I noticed that the box was open so I went over to the table and looked inside curiously. In the box were about a dozen flat square plaques, each with a Chinese character embossed on them in gold. I picked one up and held it up to the light. It appeared to be jade, and so fine that the light shone through it.

"What are these Lotus?" I asked.

She turned to me and saw what I was holding. To my surprise she blushed furiously.

"Oh! William San….they are….." she turned to the large door, obviously flustered, then turned back to me. "They are tokens" she explained. "This is Li Cheng's chamber. There is a token for each of us, one for each of his women. Each night, when he has chosen which of us he requires he places her token on the table. Our chambers are along this corridor and in this way we know who has been chosen for the night.

I stood, holding the jade plaque in my hand and stared at her. "Oh!...I see!" I put it carefully back in the box and closed the lid.

"Right then….the bath house?"

She led me to the rear of the villa and into a circular room with a floor of cream marble. In the centre of the floor was a great circular sunken bath with a bench seat all the way round. The bath was full and, judging by the clouds of steam, the water was very hot. The interior of the bath was lined with polished wood and the scent of sandalwood hung in the warm, humid air.

She turned to me with a smile. "Shall I help you William San?"

"Please do!" I said and she stepped over to me and began to slowly unbutton my shirt. I stood still in the warm, scented air as she slipped the jacket from my shoulders and began to tug the shirt out from under my belt. I slipped off my shoes and undid my belt to help her as she gently pulled off my shirt. She paused for a moment to run her hand across the dark hair on my chest, evidently this was something she was not accustomed to. I said nothing but stepped out of my pants and into the hot water. It was heavenly and I sank gratefully in and sat down on the bench with a sigh stretching my legs out into the centre of the bath.

I heard a slight noise behind me and looked around. Lotus had slipped out of her green silk dress and into a robe of some material which appeared to change colour as she moved. I wasn't entirely sure why she had bothered as it was almost completely transparent! She came over, sat down on the edge of the bath and reached into a wooden box to one side. It was full of cloths and she pulled one out, dipped it into the hot water and began to wipe it over my neck and shoulders. I laid my head back on the side of the bath and closed my eyes, her long slow strokes across my shoulders soothing me. Unfortunately, her proximity was having another effect on me as well, despite the heat of the water. I slid further down into the hot bath and tried, unsucessfully to relax.

Lotus smiled down at me and got up. To my dismay she walked gracefully to the door and looked out. I was relieved that she made no attempt to leave but instead stood there, speaking to someone and I simply lay in the bath and gazed in awe at her smooth round bottom through the gauzy material of her robe. In a few moments the door opened and Li Fei entered wearing a similar robe, this was getting interesting. She carried a glass flask in her hands which she put down on the edge of the bath and slipped in to join me in the water. Lotus sat down again on the edge and held out her hand to Li Fei who poured something sweet smelling into it from the flask. Lotus then rubbed her hands together, leaned down and began to rub the scented oil into my chest. Her head was close to mine, her long hair trailing in the water as she whispered. "Li Fei will take care of you William San."

"But I don't want Li Fei," I breathed "I want you!"

"I cannot!" she said "I am the concubine of the first rank, Li Cheng would never allow it."

By now Li Fei's hands had joined hers and were caressing my stomach and sliding down to my thighs, the sweet smelling oil cool on my overheated skin. As I gazed into those beautiful dark eyes I felt Li Fei's small hand move down onto my stiff member and curl around it gently, the scented oil making her hand slide easily along its length. Her eyes widened as she felt the size of me and she began to stroke me more firmly giggling as she felt my shaft swell under her hand.

I leaned back with my head flat on the side of the bath and Lotus leaned down and placed her soft mouth over mine. "Do not breathe a word of this William San" she said as she began to kiss me.

I slipped my hand behind her head, pulled her body down to me and placed two fingers across her lips, "Do you think I would betray you?" I whispered as I raised my lips to hers and kissed her, deeply and passionately.

Li Fei was still stroking me firmly under the water and as I turned my head to look at her she smiled at me and placed her finger to her lips in imitation of me. Since Lotus seemed unconcerned about her presence I assumed that she trusted her too and relaxed again. She leaned forwards and asked "You want me, William San?" I shifted uncomfortably on the hard wooden seat. Well I certainly wanted someone, and soon judging by the way my shaft was twitching in Li Fei's small hand. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. She gave a little smile and stood up, the wet robe clinging to her soft curves. She pulled the robe open and moved forward until she was astride my hips her knees on the wooden bench seat on either side of me. I reached up to Lotus and slipped my hand into her robe, grasping one of her small high breasts and rubbing my thumb over the hard nipple. She bent down and I raised my head and took the nipple in my mouth, sucking on it and pulling more of her breast within reach of my questing tongue.

Li Fei had moved into position and sank down onto my hard member with a little sigh of contentment. She was warm and soft and so ready and the warm oil she had rubbed into me allowed me to slip into her small body easily as she began to grind her hips against me in a slow maddening rhythm. She placed her hands on my shoulders and began to moan softly in time to her movements. I reached up with one arm and pulled Lotus down to me, my face buried between her breasts and drew my tongue over her nipple again. There was a slight click as my fangs slid out and she looked down into my eyes.

"Yes" she whispered as she moved her breast to my open mouth and I bit down as carefully as I could into the soft warm flesh. She gave a little moan as her blood began to ooze out of the tiny wounds and I fastened my mouth over them and pulled, gently drawing her blood down into my waiting mouth. The taste was ecstasy and pushed me over the edge as, one hand grasping Lotus's neck and the other on Li Fei's hip, I reached a gentle, soothing climax, the muscles of my thighs twitching and throbbing in the hot bathwater.

I woke the next evening from a deep comfortable sleep to find Lorena beside me. For a moment I was confused and then I smiled, remembering my dream. The same dream I would always have in this house. Li Cheng had planned for us to go out riding that night, he wanted to show us around the estate, so I got up, leaving Lorena sleeping, and went out to the stable yard at the back of the villa. Li Cheng was already there on the verandah next to the bath house with one of his servants, watching as the man brushed down one of three horses which were tied to a rail in the yard.

"Good evening William" he said.

As he spoke a door opened and three more lovely young girls came out and turned towards the bath house. Seeing Li Cheng and I they came over and gave us each a little bow, giving me little sidelong glances and giggling. Li Cheng smiled indulgently at them.

"William, these are Mei, Hui and Su" the three girls smiled shyly at me. "Girls, this is my guest William San. He is the companion of Miss Lorena" I thought that perhaps the smiles lessened a little at the sound of Lorena's name. I smiled back and gave a little bow as Li Cheng shoo'd them away, still giggling. They headed off to the bath house with a few glances back over their shoulders at me on the way.

I turned back to Li Cheng to see him regarding me curiously. "You have...excellent taste, Li Cheng!" I said. He gave a great laugh and put his arm around my shoulder "Perhaps one day you will be able to afford such women! If Lorena would permit it?" He gave me a shrewd look and I realised that he knew Lorena better than I had thought.

"Come! Let us go for our ride."

I turned to see Lorena coming out of the villa in a smart riding habit and high boots. We mounted up and set off into the park.

On our return a few hours later we had skirted around the property and approached from the front, passing a large square compound at the bottom of the hill which Li Cheng told me was a Barracks for the Imperial Army. I guessed that this was where Jung Lu was stationed and, since it was so close, this probably explained how he knew Lotus. Li Cheng was clearly not the type to keep his women locked up, as they were obviously very fond of him.

As we approached the villa Li Cheng stopped suddenly and stood up in his stirrups staring ahead. I followed his lead and saw what appeared to be a drift of smoke in the air above the villa. Without a word he clapped his heels to his horse and raced off up the hill with me trailing in his wake. We reached the front gate and leapt from our horses. The gate was standing open and just inside, in the courtyard lay the body of Li Cheng's elderly manservant lying face down on the carefully manicured gravel. Li Cheng stared down at him in shock and I reached down, took hold of his shoulder and turned him over onto his back. I gave a horrified cry to see that his throat had been torn out. My first thought was that he had been killed by some animal and then I realised that there was no other wound on his body and hardly any blood. I turned to Li Cheng.

"A vampire?" I asked.

Li Cheng was looking around the courtyard and I saw that several of the inner doors had been broken down. Suddenly he gave a furious cry and raced off towards the door to the inner part of the villa. I chased after him and burst through the main doors and into the villa.

We ran down the corridor that Lotus had shown me, the previous evening. The doors along the corridor were hanging off their hinges and the rooms were empty. Every one of Li Cheng's women was gone. He cursed and headed into the end chamber, his own. I stood outside in the corridor waiting and my eyes fell on the long table outside his door. The beautifully carved wooden box was smashed and the jade tokens lay scattered and broken across the floor. I had no idea which was hers so I picked up an unbroken one randomly and put it in my pocket, not knowing if I would ever see her again. As I stood there I thought I heard a sound from one of the rooms. I slipped in through the broken door and listened. Yes, there it was again, a muffled cry coming from near the window. Creeping silently across the room in the direction of the sound, I examined the couch. There was a silk curtain, torn from the window draped over it and I knelt down, picked up the edge and peered underneath. A pair of bright green, terrified eyes looked back at me. It was Li Fei!

I knelt on the floor and smiled gently at her, holding out my hand. "Li Fei? It's me William." She paused for a moment, staring at me as if she couldn't quite believe it, then she crawled out from under the couch and flung herself into my arms, just as Li Cheng came running in.

"Nothing else is missing!" he said, then he saw Li Fei in my arms and knelt down beside me.

"My little precious" he said, "what happened?"

"They came soon after you left my lord" she said in a hushed voice. "They must have been waiting for you to leave. There were many of them and they were so strong! We could not keep them out." Tears began to flow down her pale cheeks, "They took Lotus and Jiao and then broke down the other doors and dragged out Mei, Hui and Su as well. They didn't see me and I did not dare to try and help them! Please forgive me, I was so frightened. Some of the servants got away to go for help, but it was too late!"

"Who were they? Do you know?" He asked.

"They said they were taking them to the city." she answered. "The leader, he was tall and dark and carrying a great curved sword, they called him Sang." At this Li Cheng sat back on his heels and looked furious.

"You know of this Sang?" I asked. "He's a vampire?"

"Yes. He leads a nest of vampires based in the old city. He has stolen from others before but never from me!" Li Cheng got to his feet and carried the weeping Li Fei into the lounge and laid her gently on a couch. "Relax little one" he said gently "We'll get them back, somehow!"

He took my arm and walked with me back out into the courtyard where Lorena was sitting astride her horse. "Whatever is going on here?" she asked.

"There has been a raid" explained Li Cheng. "A nest of vampires from the city have stolen my women!" At this moment there was a snorting of several horses and half a dozen mounted men burst into the yard. Lorena's horse wheeled around almost unseating her and Li Cheng and I whipped round to face them. I relaxed as I recognised two of Li Cheng's human servants. The other riders were vampires and I assumed that they were friends of his, the "help" that Li Fei had mentioned.

They dismounted and clustered around Li Cheng talking hurriedly in Chinese. Lorena dismounted too and took my arm, pulling me into one of the lovely rooms off the verandah.

"What are you doing?" I asked angrily. "I need to know what we're going to do!"

"This has nothing to do with us!" she hissed equally angrily, "why should we risk our necks?"

"Because he is your friend?" I asked. "God knows we have few enough of them!" I turned to look out of the window at Li Cheng and his small company. "Besides, I like him, I want to help him. You're always telling me I need more experience, well now's my chance. You said yourself that he takes care of those girls, what will happen to them in the hands of this other nest?"

She looked at me as though I were insane. "They're just whores William! Why on earth would you care what happens to them!"

"I know them! I like them! I'm sorry if it offends your ideas of how a vampire should think but I do care what happens to them."

By this time I was determined that, whatever Lorena thought, or decided, I was going with Li Cheng. And I thought knew someone else who would help us.

"Oh very well! Go then!" she said crossly "But be careful!"

I ran out into the courtyard to where Li Cheng was talking with his three friends. He turned to me as I approached.

"I'm coming with you Li Cheng!" I said.

He smiled at me "That is very good of you William, but I don't think Lorena would approve of you taking such a risk."

"She has agreed." I said shortly "I'd like to help, if you'll have me?"

He sighed "I think we will need all the help we can get my friend! Chen tells me that the Peking nest is at least ten strong although some are away from Peking at the moment, their leader Sang is older than I and very strong, we will be hard pressed."

"How will you enter the old city with the Imperial Army stationed at the gates?" I asked.

"That is a big problem. We would have to skirt far round the walls to climb over without being seen, we would not have much time!"

"I may be able to help you with this, but I don't think you are going to like my solution." I said. Li Cheng merely looked at me with his head on one side. "It is possible that I might be able to convince a Banner Captain to accompany us, to assist us. He would be able to get us through the gates."

"And why would this Banner Captain agree to help us?" he asked.

I took a deep breath, I had to be very careful here as I had no idea how Li Cheng would react. "He…...he greatly admires one of your concubines." I explained. There was a hiss of indrawn breath from Chen, he obviously understood more English than I thought. Li Cheng heaved a sigh. "Ah, that would be Lotus Blossom, yes?"

"You know?" I asked, surprised.

"I suspected something of the kind. I think that you too …..greatly admire her William, do you not?"

"Indeed I admire her very much...but then, I will be leaving soon." I said. I stood quietly, waiting for Li Cheng's decision.

"Very well" he said after a moment's thought. If you think you can convince this man to help us then please try. Take Li Fei to interpret for you."

I looked around and saw Li Fei peeking around the corner of the doorway. I went over to her and smiled. "Will you help me Li Fei?" I asked.

She beckoned to me "Come, get horses, Barracks far!"

I laughed, "That won't be necessary Li Fei, come here." I reached for her and picked her up easily in my arms. She weighed no more than a child. I headed out of the gateway onto the drive and, once I was clear of the gate, began to run. Li Fei gave a little squeak as the trees alongside the road began to blur and clung tightly to me as we flew down the hill towards the Imperial Army Barracks. In just a few moments we arrived at the treeline close to the Barracks. As we approached I slowed to a walk and put Li Fei down amongst the trees. "Wait here, I'll bring Jung Lu." I whispered. She nodded and sat down a little shakily on the grass.

The place consisted of a broad square surrounded by a high wall with a wide gateway, now closed and guarded. Against the inside of the wall were the actual barracks buildings. I moved quickly to the outer wall and jumped up onto the flat roof. Crouching on the roof in the darkness I looked down carefully into the yard, hoping to spot Jung Lu. There was a light in a small room at the opposite corner of the square, in what appeared to be an office. I ran lightly across the roof, jumping the gap by the gate onto the opposite roof and crept across to a position from which I could see into the office. Sure enough Jung Lu sat at a desk, alone. As I watched he got up from the desk, stretched his arms above his head and came out into the yard. I stepped down to the edge of the roof and dropped silently into the yard in front of him.

He jumped back, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword, but as I stood up he recognised me. He paused and looked up to the roof, evidently wondering how I had got up there. I stood quietly watching him and he held out his hand to me.

"William San?" he said.

I reached out and took his hand gently pulling him towards the gate. He resisted me for a moment and then seemed to relax and walked with me to the corner of the wall. I pointed through the gate into the trees and he considered for a moment and then walked out to the gate. He called out a few words in Chinese and one of the guards ran to open a smaller gate set into the main one. He said something to the guard and gestured to me to go through, following me as I slipped out. Together we ran across the road into the trees where Li Fei was watching for us.

She ran to me as we moved under the trees and gave Jung Lu a little bow. I took her hands, "Li Fei" I said "You must explain to him what has happened and that I am asking for his help. We don't have much time." She turned to Jung Lu and began to speak to him. I stood and watched as the expression on Jung Lu's face changed from surprise to shock and then to determination. He began to question her and she answered him for a moment and then began to shake her head, he questioned her again and she looked at me with a worried expression and shook her head.

"What is it Li Fei?" I asked "Is there a problem?"

She would not look at me, but stared at her feet. "Li Fei! We don't have time for this! What did he say?" I took her by the shoulders and turned her to face me.

"He says that Lotus has told him Li Cheng and his friends are demons, that you are a demon William San. He does not believe this, he asks if you are really a demon?" She said in a tiny voice, afraid to look me in the eye.

I laughed. "Tell him yes, I am a demon. If he wants to get Lotus back he will have to work with demons!"

She turned to Jung Lu and said something quietly. He snapped something back at her.

"He does not believe you William San!" she was shaking now under my hands. "Please, I told him, truly!"

"Oh doesn't he!" I smiled gently at Li Fei. "We'll see about that!"

I walked over to Jung Lu and stood right in front of him. He was about my height so my face was right before his. I opened my mouth in a smile and slid out my fangs to their fullest extent. Jung Lu gave a shocked cry and jumped backwards catching his foot on a root and falling on his back. He lay there looking up at me in horror as I reached down and offered him my hand, my fangs still fully extended.

He lay silent for a moment and then reached for my hand. I pulled him upright sharply, lifting him off his feet with one hand, deliberately showing him my strength. He stared into my eyes for a moment and then said something to Li Fei. I turned to look at her.

"He says, if anyone can get Lotus back, William San, it will be you."

"Right then, let's go shall we?" I put out my hand to Li Fei and she came to me at once. I lifted her in my arms and began to run back up the hill. I slowed deliberately when I heard Jung Lu panting in my wake. We entered the courtyard of the villa and I put Li Fei down gently and turned to Jung Lu. He was leaning on the gate breathing hard and staring at me in amazement. I smiled back at him.

"We'd better get you a horse if you're to keep up!" I said.

We walked over to Li Cheng and his friends and there was a short conference between Jung Lu and the other vampires. He was evidently nervous of them, now that he had seen what I could do, but he stood his ground and faced them with considerable courage in the circumstances. As I watched him argue with one of Li Cheng's friends I realised that Lotus was right, he must love her very much to risk himself in a nest of "demons" for her sake.

In a few moments they seemed to come to an agreement and one of Li Cheng's servants appeared with a horse. Jung Lu mounted and we headed out of the yard. Before leaving I took Li Fei's hand and led her to the lounge where Lorena was lying on a couch reading, totally unconcerned.

"Lorena" I said "I want you to take care of Li Fei while we are gone. Make sure no harm comes to her. I doubt if my request means much to you, but bear in mind that Li Cheng would be very unhappy if anything were to happen to her!"

Lorena looked up and sighed. "Over there girl" she pointed to the other couch and returned to her book. I gave Li Fei a last smile and hurried out after the others.

We raced back down the road to Peking, the same road we had driven a few nights ago in the carriage. Jung Lu's horse was at a flat out gallop to keep up with us and we only slowed when we came in sight of the city walls. We gathered in a group a little way down the road and Jung Lu dismounted, his horse standing with its head down, sides heaving, sweat dripping from its flanks. We left the horse to recover and headed towards the main gate. There was a detachment of Imperial soldiers stationed outside to reassure the westerners in the city that the authorities were serious about the threat from the Boxers.

Jung Lu led our little group up to the gate and began to talk to the soldier in charge. After a few moments the man nodded and waved to one of the soldiers who opened the gate to let us slip through. One of Li Cheng's friends, Chen I think, took the lead now, I assumed he knew where the Peking nest lived as we followed him through the gateway and across the wide square. We ran across the square and under an archway into a small courtyard. Chen put his hand to his lips and gestured to a nondescript doorway on one side of the courtyard. The other two vampires immediately crossed to the door, one on either side and we listened carefully. One one side of the door there was a small window, just a gap really, high up in the wall and we could hear a quiet whimpering coming from inside.

Li Cheng's fangs slid out in anger and he muttered something in Chinese. He and his three friends braced themselves and then flung themselves at the door. There was a cracking sound and it burst inwards. The door opened on a large room dominated by a huge wooden table around which sat half a dozen figures playing dice. The wall behind the table was decorated with weapons, mostly swords. Directly opposite the door hung a pair of what looked to me like English Cavalry Sabres, presumably relics from the wars in 1860. I took all this in during the few seconds before an enormous figure rose from the far end of the table and Li Cheng and his friends burst into the room screaming threats.

Chen snatched open a door to one side and we saw, huddled in a corner weeping with fear, Lotus and the other concubines, their fine clothes in tatters, clinging together for comfort. Li Cheng's friends had taken the dice players by surprise but the leader was another matter. Li Cheng himself attacked the huge creature, presumably Sang, but he was immensely strong and simply hurled Li Cheng at the wall, knocking down the two sabres as he slumped to the floor. I stepped forward to help him and the monster turned his attention to me.

I realised then that Lorena had probably been right, I should have stayed with her. Sang was far older and stronger than me and now he had me in his sights and would, very likely, kill me. He picked me up effortlessly and tossed me onto the table. Li Cheng was lying on the floor stunned and he crouched over him and took him by the throat. Without thinking I slid over to the edge of the table and lashed out at Sang with my foot, kicking him hard in the side of the head.

Sang gave a snarl, picked up one of the fallen cavalry sabres and flung himself at me. I dived to the floor and rolled under the table just as he brought the sabre down. It slammed into the tabletop splintering the wood and I was able to use the few moments that it took Sang to pull it out again to roll out from the opposite side and snatch up the other sabre from the floor.

He came at me roaring and swinging the sabre wildly and in that moment I realised that I might possibly have a chance of survival since he obviously had no idea what to do with it. When I was in the army I had trained for a while with the cavalry before moving to the infantry and at least had some basic skills. Sang flung himself at me again, obviously under the mistaken impression that his superior strength and weight was all he needed. I'm no expert you understand but Sang's swordplay would have broken my old troop Sargent's heart. I backed into a clear space and parried a couple of cuts as he slashed at me angrily and then, as he swung at my head, I ducked in under his arm and sliced the blade across his stomach.

There was a hiss of tearing silk as I spun back away from him and he looked down in horror at a sheet of blood pouring from the long shallow wound across his belly. He glanced around to see that, during our fight, Li Cheng and his friends had driven off the rest of the nest and were herding the terrified girls out. He paused for a moment staring angrily at me and then seemed to decide that a further attempt to kill me was not worth the risk. He slipped out of the rear doorway and fled into the night.

I turned and ran for the main door, unwilling to take the risk of following him and burst out into the open. Li Cheng turned, surprised.

"William San!" the other three vampires turned and stared at the sword in my hand with Sang's blood still dripping from the edge.

Just then there was a clatter of hooves and Jung Lu appeared mounted on one of the tough little Tartar ponies favoured by the Imperial Army. He had half a dozen more which he appeared to have commandeered. He tossed a set of reins to me and gestured at Lotus. I picked her up and placed her on the saddle in front of him, then I snatched up the nearest of the panicked girls and swung the both of us up into the saddle of the nearest pony. The other vampires did the same and Li Cheng shouted an order which I didn't understand. Fortunately for me my pony evidently did and in seconds we were racing in a tight group back through the archway into the wide square before the Forbidden City.

We pounded across the square, dodging the few people who were still around and headed for the main gate in the Tartar wall which, unfortunately, was still guarded by the detachment of Imperial soldiers. Jung Lu pushed his pony to the front and raised his sword in the air, yelling an order in Chinese. At the last moment the soldiers pulled back from the gate and we thundered through and out into the flat open countryside.

When we arrived back at the villa it was nearly dawn. Li Fei ran out to the other girls and helped them back to their quarters, chattering excitedly the whole time. The other girls were quiet, shocked by their experience but I was sure they would recover soon.

Li Cheng and Chen headed to his quarters and the other two vampires joined Lorena and I and slept on the couches in our room. Li Cheng left his remaining human servants on guard, but we thought we were probably safe until dusk.

When I woke the next evening Lorena was already up and packing. She told me that she had received a letter while we were in Peking, from the captain of the Portuguese Trader who had brought us up the coast from Shanghai. He was at Taku again and wondered if he could see her. Personally I would have imagined he was glad to get away from her unscathed, but I was not such a fool as to say so!

"We'll be leaving tonight" she said briskly. "Our business here is finished and I certainly don't wish to be caught up in any fall out from Li Cheng's raid last night!"

"He didn't start it, now did he?" I said "He was only retrieving what was his to begin with."

She gave a very unladylike snort. "Well, it's none of our business anyway! We've got the money, now it's time to go."

I headed upstairs and went into the main lounge where, to my surprise, Li Cheng and all his friends stood up as I entered and bowed deeply to me.

"Good evening William San" he said. "I must apologise deeply for not thanking you last night. There was so much happening... But now I must offer you my thanks."

"It was my pleasure to be able to help you Li Cheng, it is a small return for your hospitality and for your kindness."

"You do not understand William San. You saved me. If it were not for your intervention Sang would undoubtedly have killed me! To be honest with you, I did not really want you to come with us as I believed that we had a very small chance of success. Chen has seen many vampires go up against Sang in the past."

I looked over at Chen, puzzled. "None have beaten him off before?" I asked.

"None have survived!"

There was a gasp from behind me and I turned to see that Lorena had come in and was staring at me in shock. I have to admit to a slight smug feeling as she watched the four Chinese vampires bow to me respectfully. I was evidently not quite as useless as she thought!

"I have a gift for you, William San" said Li Cheng "to show my gratitude, something which I think you want."

He turned and held out his hand and I saw that Lotus was sitting quietly on a chair behind him. She got up and walked gracefully over to him. He took her hand and placed it in mine. "You gave me back my life William San, so now I give you hers in exchange."

I had no idea what to say. Yes, I wanted her very much, but how could I accept her? I would have liked nothing more than to keep her for my own, but I knew that Lorena would never allow it. She would say nothing now but when we returned home... Besides, what about Jung Lu? I looked into Lotus's beautiful dark eyes and saw only resignation. I had many lifetimes ahead of me, but she had only one. Did I really have the right to force her to spend it with me, a man she did not not love. Yes, I could take her back to New Orleans with me, she would be an interesting and exotic possession, provided that I could keep her away from Lorena. I certainly desired her, I could give her the life of a wealthy woman but I could not convince myself that she would ever be happy.

However I also knew that to refuse Li Cheng's gift would be an unimaginable insult.

"Thank you Li Cheng" I said. "This is by far the most beautiful gift I have ever received!" He smiled happily at my reaction and patted me on the shoulder.

"Perhaps she will be the first of many?" he said.

Looking at Lorena glowering in the background I thought that highly unlikely.

About half an hour later we were overseeing Li Cheng's servants loading our luggage into the carriage. Luggage which had been increased by a stout chest containing several hundred small bars of silver, Lorena's payment for the villa. While she was busy overseeing this process I slipped away to find Li Fei. I had an errand for her. As I exlained what I wanted her to do her face broke into a happy little smile.

"Oh yes William San! I will do this for you!" She hurried off and, after a few yards, turned back. She ran up to me and planted a kiss on my lips. Then she hurried off on her errand.

When I returned the carriage was loaded and Lotus was sitting quietly in a corner, facing Lorena. I climbed in and took her hand as we drove away from the place which had been her home for most of her life.

We reached Taku within the hour and Lorena went over to her Portuguese Trader to find a servant to unload the carriage. Lotus had sat sat silent and withdrawn throughout the journey but as I helped her out of the carriage she looked up at me and gave me a little smile. At that moment I heard the hammer of hoofbeats in the distance and turned to see a rider flying down the road to the docks. He pulled up his horse next to the carriage and jumped off. It was Jung Lu. I saw Lotus's face light up at the sight of him and knew then that I had made the right decision.

He spoke to Lotus for a moment and she turned to me looking puzzled. "He says that Li Fei told him that you have something for him William San?"

"Indeed I have. I have something which should belong to him." I put my hand on her shoulder and turned her gently to face him.

She turned back to me with her eyes cast down to the floor. "But I belong to you now William San. Li Cheng gave me to you, did you not understand?"

"I understand perfectly Lotus" I said "Li Cheng gave you to me and now I am giving you to Jung Lu." I took her tiny delicate hand in mine for the last time and placed it in his. "You belong to him now." I said gently. She looked up at me and I could see the realisation of what I had done dawning in her beautiful eyes. I leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss, I couldn't help myself.

"You should know that Jiao told me that Li Cheng was planning to give me to one of his friends" she said softly "that he had found out about Jung Lu." She put a hand on my arm and whispered "I was very frightened when I realised that I was to be handed over to one of the demons. When he gave me to you I was so relieved I do not have the words to explain. If it was to be my fate never to see my love again, to be given to one of Li Cheng's demons, then of all those that I have seen, I would have chosen you William San."

* * *

Bill fell silent, a tiny pink tear forming in the corner of his eye.

Like him, when he had received his gift, I didn't know what to say!

"You did the right thing." I whispered.

"Lorena didn't think so when she found out" he said quietly. "She said that if I didn't want to keep her I should simply have used her on the boat for three days and then sold her in Shanghai!"

"What! That heartless...monster."

"If I had stayed with her for a thousand years she would never have understood me!" He smiled down at me. "So how do you like your gift?" he asked

"Your gift to me is the token for a Chinese sex slave?" I said with a smile.

Bill laughed. "I thought I might install a table over there by the door and then I could glue it on there perm...ahhhh!" He gave a muffled cry as I pressed the pillow down over his face. I pulled it off him and he lay on his back laughing hysterically.

"Well!" he said, when he could speak again. "You're not a very obedient sex slave, now are you?"

"What makes you think I want the job?" I asked.

He put his arm around my waist and pulled me to him. "Oh...slaves don't get to choose."

"Hmm...well, I might consider it..." I said as he began to nuzzle at my ear.

"Well, be careful now" he breathed in my ear, "I might have to punish you, if you disobey me!"

A delicious shiver ran through me at his words. "Oh, I'll be good, I promise!"

"What a shame" he whispered "you might enjoy it."

I felt my heart begin to race as he bent over me and kissed me, tenderly at first and then more urgently, deeply. I slid my tongue between his cool lips and ran it across the roof of his mouth. His hand slid down to my hip and pulled me closer, moulding my body to his.

"It's getting late, I can feel the dawn coming."

"I'll stay with you" I breathed, "I belong to you, completely. I'll be here when you wake, I promise." He smiled gently at me as he slipped into the darkness of his daytime sleep. As I drifted off to sleep in his arms I came to a decision. Lotus and I were very different, from a different time and a different place, but we had one thing in common. I too had only one lifetime, but I knew now that I wanted to spend it with him.


End file.
